Ruin Maniac
by Listera
Summary: In every region, there ruin maniacs...  Years ago, Rin's father disappeared while exploring the Alderian Ruins. She followed in her father's treasure-hunting footsteps, but has avoided those ruins. Now she may be forced to go there.


The waterfall cascaded downwards into a granite-edged pool, pounding thunderously at the surface of the water below. A forceful spray emnated from the falls, soaking everything in its path. Rin Vitria shivered as she stepped into the cloud of mist. Beside her walked Verse, her Espeon. She stroked his lavender fur softly. "This is it. Granite Falls," Rin announced. "Can you find the entrance, Verse?" she asked softly.

Espeons like Verse were known for their exceptionally sensitive fur, which allowed them to sense changes in air current. With any luck, Rin hoped, the entrance to the ruins rumored to be near the falls would create a difference in air current. Verse's forked tail twitched slightly at the tips as he paced about, pausing occasionally. Verse cried out suddenly and dashed forward. Rin followed eagerly. "Way to go, Verse!" she shouted, trotting beside her Pokemon.

The two of them followed a twisting, turning path; through thickets and trees, across streams and over piles of rocks. Wild Pokemon showed their faces occasionally, but they stayed out of the way for the most part. Any that attacked were quickly shooed away by the scent of Repel on Rin's clothes.

When Verse stopped, Rin found herself looking up at a stone archway, well-worn by time. Soft, hanging mosses and stringy vines covered the stones. If she hadn't known what she was looking at, Rin might have thought it was a natural cave. But, having spent most of her childhood obsessing over ruins and artifacts thanks to her father's influence, Rin recognized it as man-made. There were still prounounced cracks between the stones, definining separate blocks, along with some faint runic carvings. From her father's stories, Rin knew them to be carvings of Unown, a Psychic-type Pokemon that resembled the letters of the alphabet.

Rin pumped her fist in triumph. Trevor Halite, her closest friend and best customer, had asked her to find these ruins. Trevor was something of a smuggler, and many of his customers asked for ancient artifacts for one reason or another. Since Rin was a treasure hunter, Trevor often asked her to find things for him. And he paid well.

"C'mon, we're going in, Verse. Use Flash!" Rin commanded. Verse obeyed. The red orb on his forehead glowed with a bright white light, illuminating the pathway. Rin took a moment to calm herself, then entered the ruins. Verse scouted slightly ahead of her, using his long tail and sensitive fur to detect any traps that may have been set. Rin took a moment to take stock of the entrance hall. The ruins appeared to be a long, ornate tunnel hewn directly through the rocky cliff. Sconces specked the walls every few yards, holding oil lamps that had run dry many years before.

The entire tunnel, including the ceiling and floors, was covered in faint, painted pictures of a single legendary Pokemon in various poses and places: Lugia, guardian of the seas and leader of the legendary bird trio. The pictures were faded and chipped, worn away by the years, but still recognizable enough to set Rin's heart racing. An ancient place dedicated to a Pokemon that was practically a diety...It was bound to be full of treasure!

In her excitement, Rin raced ahead of Verse. The Espeon mewed a warning, but it was too late: the ground, along with a magnificent rendering of Lugia's head, crumbled beneath her feet. She found herself armpit deep in the floor, legs dangling into nothingness. Verse began yowling in distress. Rin spread her arms, bracing herself against the edge of the gap in the floor. "It's all right, Verse," she choked out. Carefully, she reached towards her belt, groping for her Poke Balls. Her fingers closed around one. Desperately hoping it was the right one, she pressed the button, feeling the capsule expand in her hand. It opened, and she heard the muted sound of one of her Pokemon being released, followed by a muffled cry of, "Haunter!"

"Awesome, lucky guess," she muttered. She had sent out Spook, her Haunter. "Spook, grab Kine's ball and come through the floor, please." Rin felt a slight tug at her belt as the Ghost-type did as she was told. Spook phased through the stony floor, setting Rin's last Poke Ball before the trainer. Rin craned her neck as much as she could and pushed the button with her nose.

With a blaze of red light, Rin's Skarmory, Kine, emerged from the ball. "Alright, great job, Spook. Now, Kine and Spook, could you two pull me up out of this hole?" Rin asked.

Spook complied immediately, gripping the back of Rin's denim jacket with her shadowy claws and floating up. Kine, however, turned his head in defiance. Verse hissed at the Skarmory. "Seriously, Kine, I need some help. Please?" Rin begged. Kine was a traded Pokemon; he originally belonged to Trevor. But for Rin, he was extremely stubborn, even in tight situations. Kine still refused to help, and Spook's strength alone wasn't enough to pull Rin out.

"Fine! Be that way. Kine, return!" With another flash of light, Kine returned to his Poke Ball. Spook let go of Rin's jacket. Rin turned to Verse. "If I can't get back up, I'll have to go down. Use Dig to widen this hole a bit, and let's hope the fall's not too far." As much as Rin hated to destroy what remained of the painting she had fallen through, she had to get out of the hole.

Verse began scrabbling against the stone, sharp claws finding little purchase. It took several tries, but eventually the hole was widened and Rin slipped through, letting out a high pitched screech as she fell. She landed on her feet, but her ankle twisted painfully under her weight. She leaned back onto her buttocks, taking the weight off the ankle. "Spook, return," she commanded. Once Spook was back in her ball, Verse jumped down from above like it was nothing. "Magic cats always land on their feet, huh?" Rin muttered, petting Verse's velvety fur.

With a sigh, Rin rocked forward onto her feet, putting most of her weight on the uninjured ankle and bracing herself with her hands. She tried to stand, but the pain was too much. Defeated, the trainer flopped down. "Well, seems like we're stuck here a while." Rin began rummaging through her bag. "Let's see...Potions don't work on people...I assume. I haven't got any Berries...Damnit, didn't I think to buy any _people _medicine? Ah, finally!" she cried, pulling out a roll of gauze. She rifled through the bag a bit more before producing a magazine.

Rin rolled the magazine up until it was as thin and dense as she could make it, then placed it against her ankle. She rolled the gauze around it and fastened it as best she could. It wasn't exactly quality medical care, but it would do for a makeshift splint. Rin groaned. "Okay, this isn't gonna work long term," she decided, pulling out a Poke Ball. "Spook! Go look for help!" she shouted, releasing the Haunter. Granted, she wasn't the most charismatic Pokemon, and was fairly likely to send possible help running. But Kine was useless, and Verse couldn't jump all the way back up.

Verse stared at his trainer for a moment. "I know that look," Rin said. "That's the 'be more careful, smartass' look. It's just a twisted ankle, hardly a thing. I'll be fine." _As long as help comes, _she added silently.


End file.
